Visiona and Visa form partnership
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Under the concluded agreement, VISIONA will extend the functionality of VISIONA Card Solutions Suite (VCSS), its payment solution platform, with the possibility to cater for the Visa Direct services, both within the scope of transfers to card (push-to-card) and transfers to account (push-to-account).
Additionally, the platform will be fitted with solutions to handle Visa+, a modern solution allowing for payments with the use of payment card identifiers associated with phone number or email address. In this way Visa+ will facilitate the process of sending funds and increase the comfort of users.
The solutions developed by Visa will be integrated with the systems provided by VISIONA as part of new versions of VCSS and made available to its clients.
This partnership is quite unique for us. Visa supports the development of its clients, and we treat this cooperation as a proof of trust from a global payment organisation and confirmation of our strong market position. We hope that this agreement will be an important step towards long-term technological cooperation between Visa and VISIONA, says Marcin Rusinek, CEO and Member of the Management Board at VISIONA.
Visa is very much involved in the development of solutions used to transfer money, and Visa+ and Visa Direct belong to this group. These services transform the way people are sending money globally. You can imagine the ongoing changes as a switch from the one-way street of consumer payments to the motorway system which allows you to send and receive money not only domestically but also all over the world, adds Tomasz Włodarczyk, Business Development Director at Visa. It is Visa's goal to make the payments faster, safer, more transparent and available for consumers and companies. We are looking forward to cooperation with VISIONA, as it means that our solutions will be available to an even wider group of people and will make their daily tasks easier.
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Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Telegraph
How to get a visa to move to France – by those who've done it
Punitive forms and complicated visa rules seem to be doing their best to kill off the expat dream of moving to a French idyll. There was a 10pc drop in the number of people swapping Britain for France last year compared to 2023, a dip being blamed on post-Brexit paperwork and economic uncertainty. Yet 8,400 braved the bureaucracy to receive first-time residency permits, according to the French Interior Ministry, driven by the hope of a better quality of life, beautiful towns and villages with deep-rooted traditions and affordable housing. Four years on from Brexit rule changes, and a lot of confusion remains about French visas – especially around that pesky paperwork, and a number of grey areas that exist within the rules. Experiences of the process certainly seem to vary, depending on who you talk to. It means many people don't apply for the visa that is the best fit, while others assume they can easily swap from one type of visa to another, according to Katey Green, of The Hand Holding Service in Charente, south-west France. Choosing the right visa For most people swapping Britain for France, the long-stay visa valid as a residence permit – the VLS-TS Visitor – is the most popular option, says Richard Hammond of French Connections HCB, a relocation service: 'It suits retirees who wish to stay in France without engaging in professional activity.' To first obtain the visa, it costs €220-€290 per person (roughly £190-£250) – including document translation costs – plus a visa activation fee of €225 (around £195). On this visa, individuals are not authorised to engage in professional activities in France for a French organisation, or to participate in activities that have a direct impact on the French economy. So, while they can't work as employees or be self-employed for clients or employers located in France, they can telework (work remotely) from France on behalf of a company outside France. This visa is equally popular with Americans – who face the same bureaucratic hurdles, but are not deterred – 13,000 Americans moved to France last year, according to the Interior Ministry, up 5.3pc on the year before. If you are working remotely, make your intention clear when applying, says Hammond: 'Provide an official letter from the foreign employer certifying the activity carried out has no link with the French market.' He warns that this is a 'very grey area' from a tax point of view. 'Beware of ending up liable for social security contributions in both countries.' Green says she often sees Britons who have become bored during their retirement in rural France, and want to earn 'a bit of pocket money' from gardening or home maintenance services. 'They would need to change to an entrepreneur visa, which requires a business plan for an 'economically viable' activity – so earning just €500 a month to top up your savings won't wash,' she says. Common mistakes to avoid The French government website outlines visa requirements for anyone considering making the move – but what are the key things that catch people out? First of all, you must make sure you know the difference between a VLS-TS – which becomes a residence permit (titre de séjour) – and the very similarly-named VLS-T (temporary long-stay visa). 'The VLS-T is an entry visa only, it never turns into a residence permit. You must leave and apply again from abroad if you want to stay longer,' says Fabien Pelissier, founder of Fab Expat. 'The VLS-TS implies being a tax resident and this is why it grants you access to French public healthcare and allows you to exchange your driver's licence (unlike the VLS-T).' It was an 'expensive learning experience' for retirees Karen and Mark Davis, who moved from Portland, Oregon, to a farmhouse in Brittany in 2024. Based on their responses to a pathway of questions, the French government website's 'Visa Wizard' directed them towards the wrong one. 'We got the VLS-T and just assumed it was the right one for us,' says Karen, 66, a grandmother of eight. 'We didn't realise we had the wrong visa until we'd been in France a number of months – and found out that to renew or change it we had to travel back to the States.' Because you cannot change from a VLS-T to a VLS-TS while remaining in France, the only workaround is to leave and file a fresh VLS-TS application from your home country. Once you are certain of the right visa, the next potential hurdle is experiencing problems with supporting documents, which can mean rejection or delay. For example, for the VLS-TS, you need to demonstrate sufficient financial means to cover the whole duration of your stay in France – €1,426 per month, or €17,200 (£14,643) per year for a single person – or €34,400 (£29,148) for a couple. Pelissier adds that having the wrong healthcare cover – using travel insurance or GHIC – can lead to VLS-TS rejection. Get the timing right If you are not far off 66, strategically timing your move to France could save you thousands of pounds. You must show private health insurance for the duration of the visa, unless you are of UK state pension age, when the S1 document – obtained from the NHS – allows access to French healthcare. Keith and Cathryn Whalley, from Accrington in Lancashire, delayed their move to Corrèze in central France for this reason. 'We waited to apply for the VLS-TS visa until we got our S1,' says Keith, who turns 66 on July 15. While Cathryn is 50, she can access healthcare via Keith's S1 as his spouse. 'It would have cost us £4,500 for private healthcare [for a year].' Note that you can begin the process beforehand. 'You can apply up to three months before state pension age for the S1, but it will be post-dated to the date of your actual retirement,' says Keith. 'The NHS website doesn't make this clear.' No address, no entry Another reason for refusal can be related to the French address you provide, says Hammond. 'It must be consistent with the application – if it's for an entire family, the accommodation must be large enough for them all.' You need to provide a rental contract, long-term accommodation reservations through a rental platform, a property deed, or a friend's ' attestation d'hébergement ' – a document that certifies you are living long-term and free-of-charge in another person's property. 'Hotel bookings or [short-term] Airbnbs are almost always rejected for long-stay visas by UK consulates,' adds Pelissier. Despite believing they'd followed the rules, in planning to move to Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie, Laurie Anderson turned up for his VLS-TS visa appointment with partner Keith Jones, and got thrown a curveball. Along with the rental contract for their gîte accommodation – they have since bought a flat in Sevrier through Leggett Immobilier – they had to supply the passport details of the gîte owner. 'The passport requirement was a big surprise, as [it was] not stated on the visa website. I guess they needed proof it was not a fake contract,' says Laurie, a 65-year-old retiree who loves skiing and cycling. 'I had to ring up the gîte owner during the appointment. Luckily they were around, or our application would have been delayed.' John Skrine agrees that the process can be tricky, but he found it manageable. 'You need to have bought [or rented] your French home but cannot apply once you are in France,' he says. John, 62, a former civil servant, moved with his wife, Helen, to the Vienne from Surrey for a new challenge and good weather. 'Although the process was as lengthy, it all made sense. There were no hidden steps or requirements.' 'I'm used to being pedantic, but French bureaucracy is another level' For Debbie and Kevin Harris-Brandim, it was her passport that nearly caused a hitch at the visa processing centre in Wandsworth, south-west London – where you have to attend an in-person appointment following the online application for the VLS-TS. The couple from Bridgwater in Somerset have bought a four-bedroom home in the Hautes-Pyrénées, where the therapeutic climate will quell the rheumatoid arthritis Debbie, 66, a former care-home manager, suffers from. 'We got a document checklist from French Connection,' she says. 'Little things we did not know included the fact that my passport did not have enough time on it.' A passport must not expire during the 12-month visa period – or within three months after the visa expiry date. The couple moved out in December and love their new life, but getting there required some patience. 'I was previously a director in quality compliance so was used to being pedantic, but French bureaucracy is another level,' she adds. The paperwork doesn't stop after you make the initial move, either. After swapping North Yorkshire for the Charente last year, Sonia Saxton and her partner, Karl, are happy to pay for help for every year's visa renewal. 'Paperwork is a nightmare. Paying €100 (£85) a head for a hand-holding service is well worth it,' says Sonia, 66. There's also the online renewal fee of €225 (£195). Americans need to be aware of another idiosyncrasy – especially if they are from California, New York or Oregon, like Karen and Mark – which is that only 18 states have reciprocal agreements with France on driving licences. 'Those of us from other states have to take a test as if [we were] beginner drivers – in French, with no translator,' says Karen. Despite the many hurdles, she says the move has still been worth it. 'It's been quite a journey, but people have been very helpful along the way, so France already feels like home.'
The Independent
13 hours ago
- The Independent
Home Office has no idea how many people have stayed in UK after their visas expired, report warns
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Its report said there was 'widespread evidence of workers suffering debt bondage, working excessive hours and exploitative conditions', but added there is 'no reliable data on the extent of abuses'. It noted that the fact that a person's right to remain in the UK is dependent on their employer under the sponsorship model means migrant workers are 'vulnerable to exploitation'. While the problems began under the previous Conservative government, the revelations will come as a major headache for Yvette Cooper, who is trying to persuade voters she can get a grip on illegal migration. It comes just days after new figures showed that a record number of people have crossed the Channel in small boats in the first six months of this year, despite Sir Keir Starmer 's pledge to 'smash' the smuggling gangs. Provisional Home Office data showed that a total of 19,982 people have arrived in the UK since the start of 2025 – the highest total for the halfway point of the year since data was first collected on migrant crossings in 2018. Meanwhile, figures published earlier this year suggested thousands of care workers have come to the UK in recent years under sponsors whose licences were later revoked, in estimates suggesting the scale of exploitation in the system. The Home Office said more than 470 sponsor licences in the care sector had been revoked between July 2022 and December 2024 in a crackdown on abuse and exploitation. More than 39,000 workers were associated with those sponsors since October 2020, the department said. In its report, published on Friday, the Pac said: 'The cross-government response to tackling the exploitation of migrant workers has been insufficient and, within this, the Home Office's response has been slow and ineffective.' It also noted a lack of information around what happens to people when their visas expire, stating that the Home Office had said the only way it can tell if people are still in the country is to match its own data with airline passenger information. The report said: 'The Home Office has not analysed exit checks since the route was introduced and does not know what proportion of people return to their home country after their visa has expired, and how many may be working illegally in the United Kingdom.' Committee chairman Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said while the former Tory government had 'moved swiftly to open up the visa system to help the social care system cope during the pandemic', the speed and volume of applications 'came at a painfully high cost – to the safety of workers from the depredations of labour market abuses, and the integrity of the system from people not following the rules'. He added: 'There has long been mounting evidence of serious issues with the system, laid bare once again in our inquiry. 'And yet basic information, such as how many people on skilled worker visas have been modern slavery victims, and whether people leave the UK after their visas expire, seems to still not have been gathered by the government.' Earlier this week legislation to end the recruitment of care workers from abroad was introduced to parliament as part of a raft of immigration reforms. The move has sparked concerns from the adult social care sector, with the GMB union describing the decision as 'potentially catastrophic' due to the reliance on migrant workers, with some 130,000 vacancies across England. The Home Office believes there are 40,000 potential members of staff originally brought over by 'rogue' providers who could work in the sector while UK staff are trained up. Sir Geoffrey warned that unless there is 'effective cross-government working, there is a risk that these changes will exacerbate challenges for the care sector'. He said the government must 'develop a deeper understanding of the role that immigration plays in sector workforce strategies, as well as how domestic workforce plans will help address skills shortages', warning that it 'no longer has the excuse of the global crisis caused by the pandemic if it operates this system on the fly, and without due care'. Adis Sehic, policy manager at charity the Work Rights Centre, said the report 'unequivocally finds that the sponsorship system is making migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation because it ties workers to employers' and that the Home Office had 'simply relied on sponsors' goodwill to comply with immigration rules'. He added: 'This report is yet more damning evidence that the principle of sponsorship, which ties migrant workers in the UK to their employer, is inherently unsafe for workers and, in our view, breaches their human rights.' Among its recommendations, the Pac said the Home Office should work with relevant government bodies to 'establish an agreed response to tackling exploitation risks and consequences' and identify what data is needed, including 'how to better understand what happens to people at the end of their visa and the effectiveness of checks on sponsoring organisations'.
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Powys County Times
Welshpool shortlisted for Let's Celebrate Towns award
Welshpool has been shortlisted in the national Let's Celebrate Towns awards. The town was nominated in the Connectivity category, which aims to recognise efforts in improving digital and physical infrastructure to create a more accessible town. Richard Williams, town clerk, said: "To be recognised at this level is a huge honour for Welshpool. "Our entry focuses on our efforts to enhance community access to information and services, including our proposal to install interactive touchscreen noticeboards around the town to help residents and visitors connect with local events, transport, business and more." Welshpool is one of 50 towns across the UK to be shortlisted, with projects such as eBike schemes, public art installations, free Wi-Fi, and digital communication hubs. The award aim to highlight how councils, businesses, and communities are working in partnership to support growth. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the House of Lords this month. Each winner will receive £20,000 to invest in a community initiative. Ian Harvey, head of the Institute of Place Management and a returning judge, said: "It's a real privilege to return as a judge for the Visa Let's Celebrate Towns initiative. "At the Institute of Place Management, we see that effective place leadership relies not just on passion, but on having the right skills and knowledge to deliver real change. "This competition is a powerful platform to share learning, celebrate success, and showcase the creativity and commitment of local government, businesses, and communities working to improve their towns across the UK. "It is an honour to be involved." Mandy Lamb, managing director for the UK & Ireland at Visa, said: "We're excited to champion towns that are propelling local economic growth and prosperity in the UK, with the goal of unlocking even more potential in the future. "This year of 'Let's Celebrate Towns' has attracted a record number of entries, highlighting the passion and creativity in our communities. "Anyone on the shortlist should feel immensely proud of their achievement. "I can't wait to join the judging panel to explore all the inspiring initiatives and achievements across the nation." Helen Dickinson, CEO of the British Retail Consortium, said: "Through Let's Celebrate Towns, we've seen impressive entries that demonstrate creative solutions and resilience.
